


pearlina week 2019 babey!!

by experimentorium



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Angst, Baking, F/F, Family Shenanigans, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, huh english?? haha whats that, it's pearlina week boys!! make room for the gays its every day this week uh huh uh huh, who am i kidding i never use tags lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-05-19 03:38:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19348732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/experimentorium/pseuds/experimentorium
Summary: A week of silly little oneshots for the girls who own our hearts...(Thanks to cj_walkerfics on twit for coming up with the idea and providing the prompts! :D )Day 1: Mt. NantaiDay 2: Color PulseDay 3: Cake vs. Ice CreamDay 4: Alternate Universe (au)Day 5: Blazing Love MeteorDay 6: Dear SenpaiDay 7: Into the Light





	1. closer than you think (day 1: mt nantai)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Far away. Marina first saw her from far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pearl: welcome back to me screaming. AAAAA

Far away. Marina first saw her from far away.

She expected to be interrogated when she reached the surface, held at weapon point and taken like a prisoner, she didn’t know what to expect, but she didn’t want to fight them. She knew that. She didn’t want to fight inklings, didn’t want to be the monster they probably all thought she was.

When she reached that first glimpse of light, that brush of a gentle breeze, she found herself alone. Only her, surrounded by trees and rocks and dirt… new light, and new sounds. Marina had only read about birds, she didn’t realize how many different kinds there were, how many different sounds they made, all the different songs they sang. They were scared of her, she soon learned, whenever she approached one by a stream or a clearing in the forest they took one look at her and flew away. Disappointing, at first, but she learned patience and observed from a distance.

Many nights she fell asleep to the lullaby of trickling streams and birds, singing quieter songs than their usual morning routine, until dusk parted to darkness.

Marina first heard her from far away. Exploring the mountainside, wistful and dreaming of the city she watched from afar; her back faced firmly to what she had left behind, she knew to watch her step, and to listen. This bird didn’t sing a song, she _screeched_ , piercing shrieks that made Marina’s ears crackle, such powerful sound. Naturally, Marina followed it. The source of the sound, a little pale shadow, Marina caught sight of her just before sunset.

She had pink tentacles that she would pull in front of her face and scream into, but they only worked so well to muffle the sound. Grating and near-painful to listen to, this little squid probably had a lot on her mind. So did Marina. It would be nice to have someone to talk to. But she still hid, she still didn’t want to find out the hard way that inklings really did hold ill will against… her kind.

Sometimes the bird sang, instead of screaming. Quiet and slow, testing the waters; Marina found herself growing fond of those half-baked songs, sang in that uneasy voice, growing more and more confident by the day. She couldn’t deny her curiosity—this squid had caught her attention.

Marina had taken to sleeping in treetops, at night. With the birds, watching the stars. It was so, so dark out there, each tiny pinprick of light, thousands of lives away… she found they felt more grounding, like the earth beneath her feet was something she could really take root in. So much different from the way they were underground, just flickering images on cracking screens; they were little things to grasp onto to keep from slipping off the rocks and falling to the polluted water below.

When she lost her footing climbing trees, Marina could always catch herself. It started getting warmer out, the nights losing their cooler edge, so she took to climbing without her boots, bare feet against the natural footholds of the tree.

That night, birds sang late, and Marina’s grip lost its traction. When the girl screamed, this time much _closer_ than usual, Marina yipped and her foot jerked, breaking the branch it rested on. Feebly gripping onto the branch above her head, she searched wildly for a foothold until it cracked and broke; she toppled to the ground and landed hard with a resounding _thud_ , the wind knocked out of her. She wheezed and squeezed her eyes shut, cursing inwardly as the screaming abruptly stopped.

Trying to catch her breath and waiting for the initial shock of pain to fade, rustling came from behind her.

“ _Who’s there?_ ” That voice Marina had grown so accustomed to hearing, floating over her like some sort of taunt. “Woah, are you okay?”

Marina opened her eyes and her gaze met something pale, two unsure eyes looking right back down at her. The girl she’d spent so long watching from afar, that _powerful voice_ Marina itched to harness and project had in a moment softened with concern.

“I’m… fine,” Marina stumbled over her Inkling, hoping that speaking quieter would make her lack of practice less obvious. She waited for the anger to come, the disgust, but nothing happened. The girl helped her to her feet, offered a hard-to-read half smile.

“That’s good then, had me scared for a sec there…” The girl looked at her oddly, cheeks coloring. Marina looked down at her feet, embarrassed for all of her stalking all of the sudden.

“Hey, it’s alright— though, what were you even tryna’ do anyway, sleep in a tree?” The girl chuckled, and Marina did too, nervous. She looked back to Marina. “So… what’s your name?”

“… Marina.”

“Nice to meet you then, Marina,” She held out her hand, and Marina realized she wanted to shake hands hello—she returned the gesture with a small smile. “I’m Pearl. I better, uh, go now. But… see you around, I guess?”

“Yes… Pearl,” Marina’s heart skipped, a little.

_Pearl_.

“See you… around,” Marina watched her go. It didn’t feel right, it didn’t sit right in her gut, just watching her leave without another word. Just before Pearl was out of view, Marina grabbed her boots and hiked the strap of her bag up her shoulder, running after her. “ _Wait!_ ”

Far away, was that forbidden paradise she had so dreamed of seeing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never done stuff like this before in fandom, so i figured why not give it a shot?
> 
> also uhh (glances at name of work).. it's a working title lol


	2. day 2: color pulse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rocket shoes, lava floors, complications.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, i smashed my face against a keyboard and this appeared here! mwah. voila. pizza pie-a
> 
> (also, the gift pearl mentions is for her niece, if there's any confusion there)

“I had a dream about rocket shoes last night,” Marina said wistfully, looking through the light fixtures on display along the shelves.

Pearl dropped her phone into her pocket and looked directly at Marina, eyes wide.

“What?” Marina smiled.

“Go on, rocket shoes?” Pearl urged.

“Alright, so,” Marina pushed their shopping cart down the aisle. “I was running really fast, super sonic fast, and I jumped up and bounced off of this trampoline really high into the air, and then my shoes! They just took off, and I was riding shoe-sized rockets over Inkopolis, it was awesome.”

Pearl sighed wistfully. “Why can’t we have rocket shoes? In this day and age! We have dualies that can dodge roll four times but no _rocket shoes_ … we have ink jetpacks, but not rocket shoes!” Pearl hopped up onto the opposite end of the cart, leaning over the basket as Marina propelled them forward.  

“I know! This is the third time I’ve had a dream like this, too…” she stuck out her bottom lip. “It’s got to be a sign…”

“Marina!” Pearl shot up abruptly, shaking the cart. “You should make rocket shoes.”

“I wish,” Marina lamented, “I wish I could. Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done. You probably wouldn’t even be able to actually use them… too big and clunky for walking, I’m afraid.”

“No fair,” Pearl slumped over again. “Can’t you make, like, smaller rockets for shoes? Shoe-sized rockets?”

“Then you wouldn’t be able to go much of anywhere,” Marina laughed lightly, “and that’s not even getting into the technicalities… you need proper _balance_ to stay in the air.”

“Shoot,” Pearl grumbled. “The flaw to our perfect plan.”

Marina reached over and playfully knocked her finger against Pearl’s forehead. “One day I’ll make you rocket shoes. And I’ll make me rocket shoes too.”

“Hope you realize I’m holding you to that,” Pearl hopped off the cart as they approached the toy aisle. “Hold up, I’m gonna look for a gift here, okay?”

Marina nodded, watched Pearl disappear behind the brightly-colored shelves of brightly-colored plastic toys. She tapped her feet against the floor, separating the colored tiles between her feet. A game that Pearl had taught her recently, “the floor is lava.” Marina decided that today the blue tiles would be lava.

Straying from the cart, she hopped over floor tiles, merely smiling and waving to anybody who cast her a second glance.

She and Pearl had a lot coming for them recently, plans and opportunities. Off the Hook was really beginning to take off, more and more jobs of increasing importance seemed to manifest right before them. It was thrilling—hopping over lava to the next white floor tile—there was even a pending offer for them to possibly take the Squid Sisters’ place as the new announcers of Inkopolis News. Just thinking about it made Marina’s stomach flip. The toe of her boot skimmed a blue tile, she inhaled sharply, landing square on the next white tile.

Thrilling. She smiled.

They were even working on a few new singles, one of the demos they had sectioned off from the others—it had a special sort of potential, one neither of them could quite place… not the same magnetism as some of their other ideas, no, this was different… They were having trouble naming it, of all things. A rough demo made and all the little kinks being worked out, but they still didn’t have a _name_ for it… was it so special? So special it could be their City of Color?

“Couldn’t find anything good… what do you think a three year old girl would even want, man? I haven’t been three in, like… awhile…” Pearl stepped out from the toy aisle, resting back on her heels. Marina pointed to the floor tiles at her feet. “What?” Pearl looked down. “Did I step in something?”

“Blue tiles are lava,” Marina said, and Pearl yelped for effect, jumping onto the closest white tile. She chuckled, looking back up at Marina.

“What are you thinking about?” Pearl hopped from white tile to white tile until there was only one blue tile separating them. “You’ve got your thinky-face on. Catch me?”

Marina held her arms open, and Pearl made her final jump from the tile to Marina’s arms. Marina caught her on unsteady feet, one foot stepping back to the white tile behind them and saving them both from completely toppling backwards. Marina hoisted Pearl closer, arms linked under her thighs. Pearl’s arms instinctively clamped around Marina’s neck, then loosened over her shoulders as they regained balance.

“Jeez,” Marina grunted. “How much cake have you been eating lately?”

“Ouch,” Pearl snorted. “Maybe it’s you who needs to lighten up on the ice cream intake, huh?”

“Touché,” Marina rolled her eyes. “And I have a… thinky-face?”

“Yeah, you totally do.” Pearl smirked. “You get all pouty and determined. It’s cute.”

The corner of Marina’s lip twitched, eyes narrowing. Pearl’s smile, insufferable. She knew she was pushing buttons. Marina wanted to drop her. She felt Pearl’s hands, pinkies linked at the nape of her neck. Marina didn’t drop her.

“Just still… stuck on that song, you know? The name…”

“S’bothering you?” Pearl’s smile softened. Marina’s attention began to divert a little.

“Yeah, bothersome…” Marina swallowed.

Pearl hummed, looking around the aisle they were in. People browsing the store cast them both odd glances, Marina was still stuck standing on two separate white tiles, Pearl steadily growing heavier in her arms.

“Hey! How about this- lift me up?” Pearl reached up to a high shelf.

Marina grunted. “Of course, because you’re only getting, _lighter_ …” But she obliged, boosting Pearl up a little bit; her thighs settled on either side of Marina’s waist, Marina’s cheek pressed to her stomach. Marina frowned. Complicated. This was, complicated.

“Alright,” Pearl patted the suction cup of Marina’s tentacle. “Lemme down now.”

Marina groaned, lowering Pearl to the ground. She made sure to hop back so her feet landed on a white tile. She held up a box for Marina to see. A kids’ toy disco ball, marketed for ages three to eleven.

“Is this what you’re going to get as the gift?” Marina caught her breath, taking the box.

“Oh, well, now that you mention it…” Pearl scratched her chin. “But nah, look at this!” She reached up from her white tile and tapped a line of neon-pink text printed on the box.

_Pulsing color!_

“What about it?” Marina frowned.

“How about that? As the name of the song?”

“Pulsing… color?” Marina blinked, unimpressed.

“Well, it doesn’t have to be that exactly… you could mix it up… hey, how does Color Pulse sound?” Pearl grinned. “Cool, right?”

Marina looked at the box, decorated with a picture of two little squidkids caught mid-dance in the colored light of the little spinning toy. She looked back to Pearl.

“Not really, no.”

“You suck,” Pearl snatched the box back from Marina’s hands and tossed it up, it landed on the high shelf she’d taken it from with a _thud_.

 


	3. ultimate rematch!! (day 3: cake vs. ice cream)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl tied her apron secure at her back, the words _Kiss the Chef_ printed in hot pink over her chest. (Marina had rolled her eyes when Pearl had pulled it from the closet, grinning goofily and holding it up for her to see.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> adventures in dessert preparation .. also i overuse ellipses lol

“Didn’t you guys solve this debate like two years ago?” Eight asked.

Pearl and Marina looked at her.

“Maybe,” Pearl narrowed her eyes.

“And what if we did?” Marina pursed her lips.

“I mean,” Eight snorted. “I—never mind, you guys have fun, I’m going off to—“

“Wait!” Pearl called. “You can’t go!”

“You need to be our judge!” Marina grabbed Eight’s forearm before she could turn and leave.

“Judge? For…”

“The competition, duh.” Pearl put her hands on her hips. “We’re having a dessert-making competition—ultimate rematch and whatnot. You gotta be our taste tester!”

“You mean… you’re going to be… making, cake and ice cream, yourselves?”

Pearl frowned. “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

 “Well, are you sure it’ll be, like,” Eight searched for the words. “I don’t know, edible?”

“Why wouldn’t they be edible?”

Eight looked at them. “Uhh. I better go now. Four’s waiting for m— _hey!_ ”

Pearl had jumped into squid form and wrapped her little tentacles around Eight’s ankles, gurgling angrily.

“Yeah, at least tell us what you prefer first, then!” Marina translated.

Eight smiled dryly. Were they really adults?

“Told you guys, depends on the occasion… I like both, though.” Eight looked down, at the little squid still holding fast to her ankles. “Now let go of me!”

Pearl blinked up at her expectantly, brow raised.

Eight sighed, tortured as she was. “ _Please_ let go of me.”

Disgruntled, Pearl let Eight free and moved over to settle at Marina’s feet.

“Okay, have fun doing… whatever you’re planning… even though you already had a splatfest for it… bye,” Eight stopped at the doorway and turned with a smirk. “And, please don’t blow up the kitchen.”

“Don’t tell us what to do, squirt!” Pearl stuck out her tongue from her spot on the floor, back in humanoid form.

“Yeah, that only happened once, anyway!” Marina retorted, but Eight had already closed the door. “She doesn’t trust us!”

Pearl shook her head in mock disappointment.

 

And the rematch began.

The massive Houzuki kitchen was divided up into two stations, each complete with its own four-burner stove and oven, Marina’s station set up with the ice cream churner and Pearl’s with the electric mixing bowl.

“You and your frozen slime dessert ready to get owned, Reena?”

“Maybe once you actually stop calling me that,” Marina shook her head. “That’ll be the day.”

“Cake versus ice cream, ultimate rematch! Baking competition style!” Pearl tied her apron secure at her back, the words _Kiss the Chef_ printed in hot pink over her chest. (Marina had rolled her eyes when Pearl had pulled it from the closet, grinning goofily and holding it up for her to see.) “Let’s go!” Pearl pumped her fists into the air, and the competition began.

The kitchen had grown quiet quickly, the air heavy-set with determination, neither Pearl nor Marina were backing down. They both measured out ingredients into bowls, fumbling over the measuring cups and spoons. Neither were culinary geniuses, but today was they day proved their worth, for the dessert they fought proudly for. (Again.)

Pearl’s pink apron, along with the rest of her, was soon coated in a fine dusting of flour. She watched the batter mix in the metal bowl, biting her lip and reaching for an egg to crack. She cast sideways glances to Marina’s station every so often, trying to catch glimpses of her progress.

Marina had managed to get powdered sugar stuck to all of her clothes except her apron, including little powdery smudges on her cheeks. She fussed over custard on the stove, stirring carefully and determinedly. She snuck tiny looks over to Pearl each time she heard her lower the bowl to add a new ingredient to the batter.

And yet, the tension-filled preparation only lasted so long. The cake had to bake for over half an hour, and the custard that would soon be ice cream had to sit in the fridge and set. So, the two contestants found themselves waiting in the living room, on the couch, next to each other.

“That cake smells really good,” Marina grumbled.

“Yeah, well, that custard you were making looked really smooth and thickened nicely, how about that, huh?” Pearl snapped.

“Oh? Well, you know what? You work really carefully when you’re making food and I find that really pretty _admirable!_ ” Marina shot back.

Pearl reared back, gaping. “You—you, fuck, I can’t believe the— well I think it’s _really adorable_ how you get so concentrated that you don’t realize how much of a mess you’re making! And that goes for outside the kitchen, too!”

“You’re taking this outside now, huh? Two can play at that game! I know I rag on you for being so short, but I think the way your legs dangle off the piano bench when you play is the _cutest thing I’ve ever seen._ ”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing!” Pearl jabbed her finger at Marina. “I hope your ice cream _overchurns_.”

“Yeahuh? Well, I hope your cake turns out perfectly soft and moist so you win the competition because you’re so talented you _deserve_ to win.” Marina crossed her arms smugly and Pearl clutched at her chest, falling backwards onto the arm of the couch. “Top _that_.”

“Shit, I—“ Pearl rasped. “I can’t—you’re too— _agh_.” She fell limp.

A moment of reveling in her victory, and Marina dropped her arms, chuckling. She leaned forward, resting her elbow on the arm of the couch and her chin on the heel of her hand, hovering just over Pearl.

“I think,” Pearl whispered. “I’m done competing, for a little while…” She cracked one eye open, smiling up at Marina.

“Yeah, too much energy to keep coming up with comebacks- though…” Marina’s eyelids lowered. “I could sing praises forever, if it was for you…”

Pearl huffed an exhale through her nose, narrowing her eyes. Even under the flour, Marina detected a blush.

“Mush,” Pearl grumbled, and Marina smirked. Pearl reached up, running her thumb over a smudge of powdered sugar on Marina’s cheek, bringing it back to her lips, she ran her tongue over the little smudge of sweet. Marina pressed her lips together, now her turn to be embarrassed. Pearl snickered and met Marina halfway when she began to lean down, kissing her sweetly.

“You taste like flour,” Marina murmured between kisses, wrinkling her nose.

“Yeah, well, you taste like sugar, _sugar_ ,” Pearl’s lips curled to a smile, she crossed her ankles over the small of Marina’s back. “So _get back down here_.”

 

Eight returned after the heat of the competition had died down.

“So?” She asked, kicking off her shoes.

Both Marina and Pearl sat at the table, a slice of cake and a scoop of ice cream on each’s plate.

“We’ve set aside our differences,” Pearl grinned, Marina huffing a little laugh. There was not a spot of sugar on her face, not anymore.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> debut of agent 8! she's my girl. she loves her disaster gay moms


	4. Emotion Jumping (day 4: alternate universe)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She hated the little mini-Pearl in her head that screamed and kicked and threw a tantrum because all she wanted was to go back in time, to when she was able to call Marina her partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy... look at that shiny new tag! hahaha.. 
> 
> this is actually the first au i came up with when i joined splat fandom, over a year ago... as a short lesson in this lovely au i call the geo-jumper au:  
> -jumping is basically teleportation  
> -this au is one thousand percent me indulging 
> 
> also this is. uh. a bit longer than the others (how did that happen??? uhHH)

The warehouse got lonely, when there weren’t any other troublemakers to stir up a mess with. Now it was just Pearl running the place, calling through the building’s com system in code that nobody was around to understand, orders that she carried out herself. Callie and Marie hadn’t stopped by like they’d promised they would, but Pearl knew they wouldn’t. They had enough on their plates with the bar, and their new café employees, Three and Four.

Pearl missed the boisterous, bubbly atmosphere of the bar on a packed night, jumpers and outcasts alike coming together and letting loose where they wouldn’t be found and apprehended. The eerie quiet of the warehouse made her skin crawl, she hated it. But she felt some sense of duty in being the only one left alive to care for the place. All alone, she bitterly cleaned up the remnants of the Octarian raid. She wanted revenge—they destroyed her home and hurt her family. Pearl had been _used_ , a tool to bring her own home to ruin.

Pearl sat on the terrace outside her bedroom up in the attic. She had a nice view of Inkopolis’ industrial district, and even further in the distance was the harsh glow of central Inkopolis. Octarians controlled the city from underground, setting inkling figureheads into seats of power and pulling the strings from backstage. An inkling mayor didn’t change the fact that Octarians patrolled the streets during all hours of the day, armed and allowed to use violence to enforce the laws they had put in place. Pearl scowled.

She couldn’t help but feel, sometimes, that the raid was her fault. She knew it wasn’t, not really, she had been fooled. It was Marina who’d wormed her way in, quietly leading the octo-troops in behind her, surrounding them on all sides. Marina, who’d turned her back to Pearl without so much as a second glance. After everything…

Pearl’s hands curled to fists, anger bubbling anew.

Marina, so sweet and tortured, who held her and opened something up inside her that she had worked so hard to keep closed. She was such an idiot. Too trusting, naïve, and look where it landed her.

 _I should’ve left her under my net_ , Pearl thought angrily. _I should’ve shot while I still had the chance, and none of this would’ve—!_

But Pearl couldn’t bring her parents back, couldn’t bring her workmates back, they were already gone. She looked down at her wrists. In the dying daylight, she could still make out the needle-thin bracelet scars circling around them, the mark of a jumper. Being a jumper was as dangerous as ever in Inkopolis, nowadays. Ever since Callie’s capture (and later, her rescue,) Octarian-initiated hostility against jumpers had risen considerably. More people were actively looking for, and finding jumpers, turning them in to the police rather than offering protection. Not that Pearl was planning on heading anywhere too public in the near future.

She exhaled, trying to relax the tension knotting her up inside. She still had work to do, she couldn’t drive herself into the ground until it was done. She had a business to rebuild, shoes to fill. Her parents were gone, she was the only Houzuki left to continue what they’d started.

Pearl exhaled sharply, squeezing her eyes shut. She had already begun drifting.

“No, wait, not- _not now_ ,” she muttered, but the scars around her wrists merely prickled in response, moving ahead without her. She still hadn’t quite gotten a handle on this, the “anger-jumping.” It happened slower than deliberate jumping, controlled by her emotions—usually her anger, since that was what she had been dealing the most with lately.

It felt like she was passing through a thick curtain, into somewhere dark and pressured, she was squeezing, squeezing through such a tiny space, wincing and hissing in pain. The terrace, the warehouse, the city view were all gone now, and no matter how wide Pearl opened her eyes, there was no light to sap the endless shadow away.

“ _Let me go!_ ” She thought frantically. “ _Fuck off, oh cod_ —“

And the ground solidified beneath her, a wall there to support her as she slumped back, landing in something sticky. Disoriented, she looked around; even the dim light of _wherever_ she’d landed was too harsh for her eyes, accustomed to the darkness she’d been enveloped in just before. She coughed, looking down to see her hands covered in ink, burning her palms and coating her forearms in splotches. She made a choked sound, trying to take in her surroundings. Tiled walls, stone ceilings with mold growing in the cracks, old rusted pipes lining the walls. Ink mixed with water in a little waterway at her feet, and Pearl realized in that instant where she had jumped to. Her hearts pounded in her chest, this was _not_ a good place to have ended up—

“ _Who’s there?_ ” Someone called out, and Pearl scrambled to her feet, trying to wipe the Octarian ink off onto her clothes. Just her luck! She had jumped straight into Octarian territory; more specifically, one of the entrances to their main headquarters. She heard splashes coming from behind her, octoshots being pulled from belts, and she made a break for it.

“ _Hey! After them!_ ” More footsteps joined in with the first.

 _Great_ , Pearl thought, _She has backup! Now the whole damn army is after me. Fuck! Major fuck_.

She knew she couldn’t keep her head start on the Octarians forever, her short legs wouldn’t stand a chance against the many, probably jacked legs of fully-trained Octarian soldiers. She tried to focus, will herself to jump back to the warehouse, but it was no use. Her hands and arms were still burning from the foreign ink she’d landed in, and adrenaline rushed through her veins anew. The quick footsteps behind her grew louder, grew closer, Pearl’s legs were starting to burn with the effort of her sprinting, her breath coming out in wheezing pants.

“Hey, you!” One of the voices yelled to her. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Pearl could think of a few smart retorts to shoot back, but she was nearly out of breath. One shoe slipping on the wet tile and splashing into the water was enough to knock her balance and send her sprawling across the floor.

Before she could struggle to her hands and knees, she was being tugged into the air by the hood of her sweater, cutting off her airflow. Pearl kicked and struggled, but soon two more octolings had grabbed hold of her arms and shoved down her sleeves.

“Now just how did you get down here, little maggot? What were you planning, hm?” One of the octolings, presumably the leader of the group, said tauntingly.

“Look, commander,” one of the octolings at her arms held her wrist out for the leader to see. Even after being smeared with Octarian ink, the scars around her wrists were just visible. “She’s a jumper.”

“Ooh, even better!” the leader laughed, pulling out a tablet and tapping out a few commands. “My boss would love to hear that…” She stuck the tablet back into the case at her belt, crossing her arms smugly. The other soldiers looked around expectantly.

“I told you not to contact me unless _absolutely necessary_ , Seven.”

Pearl jerked in the Octolings’ hold, suddenly burning.

Somebody stepped out from the tunnel Pearl had tried to escape through. Shiny, polished armor, intricately tied-up tentacles and a holo-device attached to an earpiece that worked the same as the tablet the leader had just used to contact her. Pearl knew, because she had shown it to her once.

Marina frowned impatiently, waiting for the commander to explain herself. She hadn’t seen Pearl yet.

“But, boss, we’ve apprehended a jumper! She was just _here_ , and we were able to—“

“Let me take a look,” Marina cut her off, pushing past her and stepping closer to Pearl. “Because if you’ve caused another ruckus for no reason, I’ll be forced to…” her voice abruptly died in her throat as she laid eyes upon the newfound prisoner.

Pearl looked right back at her, right into her eyes, an unyielding wall of crackling rage. It suddenly didn’t matter if they would torture her, or cut off her hands so she could never jump again, Pearl wanted to dig her knee into Marina’s throat until her face turned blue.

Marina’s gaze, however, shifted from impatience to neutrality. She looked right through Pearl, betraying no emotion. She waved her hand in dismissal.

“Put her in the holding cell. I’ll take care of her.”

“The,” the commander spluttered. “The holding cell? But isn’t this, won’t the DJ—“

“The _DJ_ ,” Marina said, this time a bit firmer. “Has appointed me as his right-hand, so in his absence, _I_ make decisions.” The commander shrank back a little. “And I am telling you, to put her in the holding cell.” She turned and walked briskly back through the tunnel she’d emerged from.

 

The holding cell was not a fun place to be. Fluorescent lighting, and only a stone slab jutting out from the wall as a place to rest. Pearl settled onto it, cross-legged, her back resting against the cold stone wall. She watched spiders spin their webs in between the bars of the cell door, the only entrance and exit. She breathed, her head swam. She couldn’t jump out, she had figured that would be the case, but she tried anyways, grunting in irritation as her body refused to move from its spot, her soul refused to shift and let go.

The guards who watched her changed every hour. They were kind of annoying, but they almost looked afraid of her, which was slightly amusing. But then they were gone, and a new pair took their place.

On the seventh hour, the last two guards left and nobody took their place. The lights flickered, and the door opened minutes later. One guard, this time.

“Oh, huh?” Pearl sat up. “Is it time for me to get zapped, now? Hypnotized? Are you gonna cut me up? Skin me? Or no, don’t tell me you’re gonna apologize, oho!” Pearl crossed her arms. “Because you _better_ not be here to apologize. I’ll skin _you_ first, octopus.”  She snapped.

Marina walked up to the barred door of the cell without a word, expression betraying nothing.

“Quiet, huh? Not gonna say anything? What, am I too far below you to deserve a response? Alright, fucking fine. Do whatever the shell you want! Play hoity-toity mcfuckin’ head-soldier on my ass, fine!” Pearl kicked her legs out, laughing bitterly. She opened her mouth to continue, but Marina held a firm finger to her lips, brow furrowed.

Pearl would have ignored that and kept on pestering, if it weren’t for the odd position of Marina’s hand. The light reflected off of something enclosed in her fingers. Pearl narrowed her eyes, breath catching in her throat. Marina turned, standing firm guard with her back to the door of the cell. The hand she used to quiet Pearl fell to her back, crossed over the other. Pearl squinted, trying to make out what she was holding. It looked almost like a coin, with a hollow in the center… Pearl’s gaze drifted to the odd, old-fashioned lock of the cell door. A box shape, with a slot in the bottom that the coin would fit into perfectly.

The lights flickered again, and Pearl looked up. One of the security cameras in the corner had fallen limp, wires crackling. Marina turned her head and looked back at her, expectantly.

“You,” Pearl began slowly.

“ _Come on_ ,” Marina whispered. “ _You don’t have a lot of time, and honestly, neither do I_.”

Pearl slid off the stone slab, glancing skeptically between Marina’s face and the key in her hand. She stopped in the middle of the cell, eyes narrowing to a glare.

“ _Oh, you_ ,” Marina exhaled, irked. “I’ve redirected the power source in this sector from the Zapfish to the reserve generator, which means some of the security systems are down. This cell is archaic, so it operates on an actual lock and key, but I was able to get past that easily enough.”

Pearl tapped her thighs with her still-prickling fingers.

Marina turned around fully now, facing her.

“Pearl, don’t be like this now, I swear to cod. You’re allowed to hate me, in fact, do hate me! Hate me forever, dream of gutting me every night, whatever! You don’t ever have to see me again, if you just trust me this one damn time.”

“Trust, huh?” Pearl raised her eyebrows.

“Pearl, listen to me,” Marina gripped the bars of the cell, now, dropping the cool demeanor in a moment. “If you stay here, they will take you and bleed you dry. They’ll cut your hair and your skin and they’ll burn you and rip you apart until you’re nothing but shreds, and I don’t—“ She coughed. “—I don’t want that to happen. This is me being selfish. _Please_.”

Pearl stepped closer to the door, reaching through the gap between the bars and gingerly taking the key from Marina’s hand. She pushed it into the slot and the lock clicked, the door screeching open. Marina stepped back as Pearl left the cell, looking left and right for anybody who might jump out and grab her. When nobody did, she started for the exit, not looking back.

“And Pearl,” she stopped at the tone of Marina’s voice. She hated the little mini-Pearl in her head that screamed and kicked and threw a tantrum because all she wanted was to go back in time to when she was able to call Marina her partner. “Watch those mistake jumps, okay? They might get you into real trouble one day.”

Pearl didn’t respond, ducking through the exit and pressing flat against the wall outside as she remembered, the terrace of the warehouse, rubbing the pads of her thumb and index finger together. Realities shifted, along with the ground under her feet, and soon she stumbled over from the terrace into her bedroom, crashing onto her bed with a huge sigh.

“ _Watch those mistake jumps, okay?_ ” She mocked, screaming into her pillow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anything is particularly confusing, feel free to ask questions in the comments! i would be glad to answer...
> 
> also. i know. this is, pearlina week, not. pearl hates marina because marina betrayed her week. but. hrrhhgr :')))
> 
> (disclaimer: i know nothing about electrical work so please disregard anything that sounds weird or incorrect ahaha)


	5. day 5: blazing love meteor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Pearl.” Marina looked at Pearl. “What does that say? Right there?” She pointed to a little sign, taped over the limo’s mini snack shelf.  
> Pearl pressed her lips together.  
> “Pearlie?” Marina raised her eyebrows.  
> “It says…” Pearl looked at Marina. “… happy. Birthday.”  
> “Oh, boy,” Marina sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the more tired i get, the cheesier the fics become

Marina opened the door to her bedroom with a yawn, sighing lightly and reaching to switch the lights on. With a start, she realized they’d already been turned on.

“About time,” Pearl smirked, sliding off of Marina’s bed with her arms crossed.

“How—“ Marina blinked. “ _How did you get in here?_ ”

“ _Whaa_ , am I not allowed to break into my girlfriend’s apartment?” Pearl jabbed her thumb over her shoulder to the window next to Marina’s bed. “Fire exit. Makes me feel like a ninja, y’know?”

Marina laughed, incredulous. “One of these days you’re going to get arrested…”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Pearl shrugged, ignoring Marina as she threw her hands into the air. “Anyways,” Her voice dropped to a purr, she stepped up to Marina and circled her arms around her waist, looking up at her with a certain scheming grin. “I’ve got some plans for tonight— _oof-_ “

Marina had draped herself over Pearl, cheek squished to the top of her head, arms dangling over Pearl’s back.

“I’m _tiiiiiired,_ ” she whined, “Don’t _waaaanna_ do anything… it’s late, anyways, let’s just go to bed…” She started waddling forward, forcing Pearl to backpedal until they both flopped over the edge of the bed, Pearl crushed underneath Marina’s weight. She halfheartedly beat two little fists against Marina’s back, but Marina refused to let her free. Eventually Pearl managed to wriggle out from underneath her girlfriend and caught her breath, determined to go through with what she had planned.

“C’mon, we don’t have alotta time, _you gotta_ ,” she grunted, jostling Marina’s shoulder to get her to move. “ _Get up!_ ”

“Shnoore,” Marina said, voice already thick with exhaustion. “I’m sleeeeeeping…”

“Ma _rinaaa_ , you’re ruining my ultra-special plans!” Pearl groaned in defeat. She flopped down beside Marina, who cracked one tired eye open.

“You really have something special for me?” She smiled.

“Yes,” Pearl dug the heels of her hands into her eyes.

“Okay, I’ll…” Marina stretched out, lifting herself up and resting on her elbows. “I’ll bite. What is it?”

“We gotta leave, like, right now.” Pearl said.

“Leave? Where even is this surprise?” Marina raised her eyebrows, amused.

“…Out. Side. Outside,” Pearl sat up, grabbing Marina’s wrists and tugging until she was in a sitting position. “Get your shoes on, baby, we’re taking a joyride!”

Marina rolled her eyes. “Alright, crazy…” She yawned.

 

“When you said ‘joyride,’ I didn’t realize you meant limo ride.” Marina narrowed her eyes at the long, dark vehicle parked outside the apartment building. Very out in the open.

“Agh, I told him to park out back,” Pearl grumbled, “Anyways, let’s go, c’mon, we’re losing time…” She urged Marina forward, getting the door herself and half-shoving her into the backseat.

“Easy, Pearlie, I’m going!” Marina laughed, landing sideways onto the limo’s long backseat. Pearl followed her in, flopping back onto one of the seats lining the side and slamming the door shut behind her. She reached up and knocked on the little window separating them from the driver.

“Let’s get goin’, alright?”

The jellyfish nodded, tipping his cap to Marina and starting up the engine, soon they were pulled onto the street and driving out of Inkopolis.

“Pearl.” Marina looked at Pearl. “What does that say? Right there?” She pointed to a little sign, taped over the limo’s mini snack shelf.

Pearl pressed her lips together.

“Pearlie?” Marina raised her eyebrows.

“It says…” Pearl looked at Marina. “… happy. Birthday.”

“Oh, boy,” Marina sighed.

“Come on, Marina, I know you told me not to do anything crazy like last year for you, so I—“

“ _Pearl,_ ” Marina massaged her forehead.

“No, Marina! I couldn’t just sit around while you lived out your big twenty-first like it was just some normal day! That’s a crime!” Pearl shuffled onto the floor of the cabin, scooting forward unsteadily as the limo swerved and bumped over uneven road, stopping at Marina’s seat and grabbing her hand.

“Just have some faith, alright? No explosives this time, and there’s no giant cake anybody is hiding in.” She squeezed Marina’s hand in both of hers, biting her bottom lip.

“ _Promise?_ Nothing through the roof?” Marina narrowed her eyes. “No explosives? No alcohol?”

“None at all,” Pearl shook her head vehemently. “I promise, on all my fingers, toes and tentacles.”

Marina sighed. “Okay… but we’re going back right after whatever this is and going to bed, alright?”

Pearl nodded once, bringing Marina’s hand to her lips and gently kissing her fingers.

Marina’s cheeks colored, she looked away. “Sap,” she muttered, smiling and squeezing her eyes shut.

“You love me,” Pearl stuck out her tongue. “Marina _loooves_ me.”

Marina slipped her hand from Pearl’s grasp and sat up a little, cupping Pearl’s cheek.

“I do,” she said, and Pearl leaned into Marina’s touch, smiling like a goofball. The limo pulled to a stop just then, and their driver held the door open as they both exited the vehicle.

“Thank you,” Marina waved to the jellyfish as he hopped back into the front seat. “Now,” she turned to Pearl. “What are you pl—hey!”

Pearl had jumped onto her tippy-toes, holding her hands over Marina’s eyes.

“This part is super important, just, uhh…” Pearl frowned, “Keep walking forward, I’ll tell you when to sit down.”

“Sit down? Pearl, where—“

“Shh!” Pearl urged. “Just trust me, girl.”

Marina sighed. “Alright. Lead the way.”

They slowly made their way across the open field Pearl had asked the jellyfish to drive them to, far away from the blaring lights of the city, deep in the country, even farther out than Pearl’s family’s mansion. They reached a blanket that had been set out in the grass, and Pearl gave Marina the okay to sit down. They both lowered to the ground, and Pearl removed her hands from Marina’s eyes.

“Okay, now, where…” Marina looked around, taking in the atmosphere. Clear skies, summer bugs buzzing and chirping, the occasional firefly briefly sparking a tiny light through the grasses. “Pearl?” She questioned. Pearl merely pointed up.

Up, up, to the sky. Marina looked up, exhaling in wonder. There was no intruding light from anywhere to blot out the night sky, which had in turn become a dome of stars over their heads. Stars and stars and stars forever, even the pale mist of the Milky Way was visible.

“Amazing, huh?” Pearl said, impressed. “And that’s not even the best part…” She glanced down, turning her phone on for just a moment to check the time.

“Oh!” Marina jumped. “Was that—? There’s another one!”

Pearl looked up just in time to see two shooting stars, a few more joining the mix every few moments, half-seconds of sparkling movement.

“Sweet, right?” Pearl whispered. “That’s why I was rushing you!”

“Oh my cod,” Marina laughed, incredulous. She was smiling, big and bright. “Pearl, you—a meteor shower?”

Pearl raised her eyebrows. “You did tell me you’ve never seen one before…”

Marina threw her arms around Pearl’s shoulders, hugging her close. They fell back onto the blanket, looking up at the sky together, watching the little faraway meteors fly across the nightscape. Pearl could hear Marina’s astonishment in the catch of her breath, she reached for Pearl’s hand.

“Happy birthday, weirdo,” Pearl said, and Marina chuckled.

“You,” she turned and buried her face into the crook of Pearl’s neck. “You never fail to amaze me…”

“That’s my job, beautiful.” Marina snorted. Pearl tapped her tentacle. “Hey, look at me.” She separated from Pearl from a moment, gazing down at Pearl, barely visible in the dark.

“I love you,” Marina said.

“Hey! Jerk, you beat me!” Pearl frowned. Marina stuck out her tongue in response, blowing a raspberry.

“ _Ack_ -agh, spit all over me…” Pearl chuckled. “Hey,” she reached up and squished Marina’s cheeks mid-raspberry. “I love you too. You old fuck.”

“Mmnot that old,” Marina smiled. “You’re still older than me!”

“Physically,” Pearl corrected.

“ _Ah_ , of coursh-” Pearl continued squishing her cheeks. “Would you, _quit that_?” She reached down and pinched Pearl’s cheek.

“Nope,” Pearl laughed, trying to shrug Marina’s hand away from her face, to no avail.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and they missed the rest of the meteor shower because they were too busy being idiots, the end


	6. for her (day 6: dear senpai)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Who are you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was originally going to be a comic, but i havent been happy with my art lately, so i wrote it into fic form instead. All (well, most of) the italics that aren't dialogue are from the original comic idea i had

During construction of the first special splatfest stage, Pearl didn’t think she’d ever seen Marina so happy. She was in her element, after poring over her designs for so long Pearl would find her asleep at her desk, seeing those designs come to life gave her some childlike pleasure; from brain to blueprints to reality. 

Shifty Station, it was called. Marina had kept it a surprise that first time, showing Pearl the stage herself after she’d finished it. Each once had a special surprise gimmick for inklings to utilize during the competition, gadgets that Pearl had never seen or heard of before.

“ _It’s a challenge, I’m challenging myself with this one_ .” Marina looked over her finished work with a barely-contained smile, holding a finger over her lips. “ _I’m going to use all the same materials and shift them into a new design, every time._ ”

“ _Every time? Reena, we’ve got two whole years of splatfests to go_ ,” Pearl laughed, looking around and taking in the hanging lights, little neon billboards and stalagmites forking up from the ground. They were _floating_. 

“ _Except for the special gimmicks, of course, but yep. Every time_ .” Marina said. “ _It’ll be fun! A challenge. I’ll challenge myself…_ ”

It was odd, sitting in those Shifty Stations just before splatfests, watching Marina make her final rounds on the stages before the battle began.

 _What kind of a story are you trying to tell?_  

Domes and contained spaces, moving platforms and spinning centers, cannons and tentacles and grapplinks… _who are you?_

 _A trillion stars, birds chirping, the distant trickle of a stream. This story; one you love to retell, and retell_. 

Watching her work, this girl was too far away for Pearl to ever know. She worked and she loved working, loved building and creating and fashioning and perfecting, and most of all she loved sharing what she’d made, loved seeing inklings (and eventually, octolings) look around in wonder at whatever turf-warring oasis they’d landed into.

And after things spilled, after Agent Eight and the octarian file— octarian, that was a new word. Octoling, inkling, soldier, partner, for all of Marina’s worrying about being too different, all Pearl really saw was her. Just her, the Marina she knew versus the Marina she could have known meant nothing, because she was here now and they had each other. When she told Marina this, she half expected the tears, but not the volume of them. Pearl would hold her forever if it meant being able to chase away all the things eating at her that Pearl didn’t quite understand. 

Time travel versus teleportation. Pearl swung her legs over the edge of the overhanging platform and she watched Marina work, just like always. Finishing touches, here and there. New words she’d learned in the last year, rolonium and flooder and octoweaponry and rebellion, underground homes and mind control and things that made them seem so far apart, how could Marina live with all of that inside her? These special stages… just how special were they, to her?

 _A window into you. Your home, everything about you I never came to know_. 

And Pearl closed her eyes, like every time. Breathed the air and let the filtered tranquil of the place swallow her up. Lights and sounds and being, ink and machinery and far away life, water and animals and something crystalline, kaleidoscopic; Pearl heard Marina humming quietly, wiping sweat from her brow as she worked. 

 _For just this moment, I can see into that head of yours, I know how you think and what you feel_ … 

And then, chaos versus order. For this Shifty Station, Marina asks for her hand, and of course Pearl gives it. Any day, any hour, for her. She needed Pearl’s help? Pearl would give it to her in a heartbeat. 

This time she had no edge to let her legs dangle off of, no underground and no hanging lights, just them over the open water. Marina needed her voice, this one last time. Standing there, watching the city, Pearl almost wanted to cry. Every month, every new ground she set foot onto, every new arrangement and gimmick…

 _Today, you’re telling me your story_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love love love love love [shifty station...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFeHNitYp2Y)


	7. day 7: into the light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tentakeel Outpost was an unlikely hero, a wonderful picnicking spot on a warm spring day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it follows the prompt if you squint (lol)  
> this one's a little shorter than the others....

Tentakeel Outpost was an unlikely hero, a wonderful picnicking spot on a warm spring day. All the parks in central Inkopolis were full of people enjoying the wonderful day, with friends and family and pets, if Pearl and Marina had decided to go there to eat, their peaceful catch-up session wouldn’t be so peaceful, and not much catching up would get done. Preparations for final splatfest were beginning to reveal separate paths for the both of them, paths they treaded uneasily. But they had already decided, the both of them, they weren’t going to be torn apart over a little game, friendly competition—even if Pearl did pull the “article 4 of splatfest law” card.

Plus, at the Outpost, they had Four and Eight and the Squid Sisters to hang around with. But today, Marina brought Pearl further out, past the agents and Octavio, beyond whistling kettles and signs coated in stickers.

“Is this really where you’re from?” Pearl turned to stare at the raised platform in the center of the place, the largest of the kettles atop it.

“Yes and no,” Marina stopped a few feet away, peering over the edge of the floating land. Pearl stepped up next to her and followed her gaze. “Technically, I’m from down there,” she pointed down, to another structure, deeper into the canyon. It made Pearl dizzy, looking down so far. “But I don’t think I’m. Ready to go back there, yet… here is safer. Up higher.” She said, quietly. “One day. I’ll show it to you.”

Pearl reached over and took her hand, squeezing it once. Marina looked at her, troubled expression softening into a smile.

“We’re here for lunch, right? Because we’re cheesy and all that. No bad vibes, we’re here to catch up and be gross about it.”  

Marina huffed a laugh. “Right. You’re so right.”

 

“Ohh, my outfit for team order is so cool, I can’t wait to show it to you…” Marina gushed, pulling her lunch out of the bag they brought. “It’s all silver and shiny, and the boots are attached to—“

“Alright, alright, don’t spoil it all for me,” Pearl smirked. “And ah… not to brag, but I think my outfit for team chaos is a ton more awesome…”

“Oh, huh? What was that? A challenge?” Marina laughed.

And they talked. No having to play a character or read lines from a prompter, they just ate lunch and basked in the wonderful weather and _talked_ to each other. Pearl wasn’t ever very good at making friends, she wasn’t actively searching for company ever, but she hadn’t realized how deep and dark a hole she’d dug herself into she met Marina. Marina, some sort of light that grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and rescued her from that hole.

She was easy to talk to, fun to talk to, fun to be with, Pearl felt so at home with her… Pearl is glad she’s stuck by her side.

“ _Hey_ ,” Marina said, mouth full of sandwich. “Pearlie? You awake?”

“Hm?” Pearl blinked. “Oh, yeah, sorry…“ She paused. “Uh, Marina, you’ve got uh, ah…” She motioned to her face. Curry bits from the filling of Marina’s sandwich had smeared just over her top lip.

“What?” Marina raised her eyebrows, pointing to her own face. “I’ve got a what?”

“Just a little, little bit of…” Pearl trailed off.

“Are you, are you trying to tell me something?” Marina asked matter-of-factly, taking another bite of her sandwich. “Becaush, if you haf som’thing to shay, you can shay it to my _faysh_.” More curry mess had appeared, at the corner of her lip.

Pearl exhaled. “Marina.”

“Yesh?” She batted her eyelashes, smiling sweetly with a mouthful of sandwich.

Pearl snorted, shaking her head. “You cheeky fuck,” she threw a napkin at Marina, who caught it easily and wiped her face. “I missed you.”

Marina’s smile lost its bite, her gaze softening. The afternoon sunlight made her skin sparkle.

“I missed you, too.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> even if what i've made for the week's prompts weren't the toppiest-tier, I'm really happy i was able to write and post some...
> 
> another thank you to cj for this week, and happy almost-one-year anniversary to her story i've got your back! it's what kept me around in pearlina fandom for as long as i have :D


End file.
